


What Sleeps in the Ruins

by FelliSkelli



Category: Undertale
Genre: Bake Sale, F/M, Fluff, Spiders need help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 03:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11865474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelliSkelli/pseuds/FelliSkelli
Summary: Muffet makes a trip to the Ruins to check on the other spiders for the first time since she migrated to Hotlands. She meets an unexpected new friend.





	What Sleeps in the Ruins

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the fan-fiction contest!

“Little miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey…~” Muffet sang to herself cheerfully as she packed up a picnic basket for her trip to the Ruins. “Along came a spider who sat down beside her~” she continued with a small giggle as she turned to tease her darling Cutie Muffin who was wrapping up a plate of sandwiches. “And frightened miss Muffet away!” she concluded as she set the silk-covered plate into the basket and covered it all with a lovely soft blanket.

“What even is ‘whey’?” Cutie Muffin asked as she settled into a soft muffin-poof on the tabletop. Muffet reached out to adjust her pretty red ribbon and tapped one finger against the bottom of her lip as Cutie curled her legs neatly.

“When milk is curdled and strained while in the process of being converted to cheese, whey is the liquid that remains.” She explained. “Curds and whey is, I believe a way of saying she was eating cottage cheese. Which is so delicious!” she added with a nod as she adjusted the two ribbons in her own hair. 

She was quite excited for this trip and she wanted to look her best.

She had not seen the rest of the clans left behind in the Ruins since she had migrated to Hotlands in order to raise the money to bring them safely through Snowdin. It was far too cold for them to try and cross alone, she herself had barely made it. None but her could have survived. She had come here with a ten carefully incubated eggs, and over the centuries they had become a rather large nest. But she missed the rest of her people.

She had barely had any contact with the remaining clans in the time she had been in Hotlands with her bakery, but she was certain they were following her orders to raise G for their cause to the letter. 

But even though the money had not been raised as of yet, she felt a sense of anxiousness, and she missed them so dearly. So she decided to make the trip to visit them. She was also taking them a cell phone so they would be able to get into contact with her and keep her updated on their progress. 

After making sure she wasn’t forgetting anything she hefted her picnic basket up with two hands, kissed Cutie Muffin (whom she was leaving in charge of the store in her absence) goodbye, and left to make the short trek to the river. She would be making use of the Riverman’s services to get to Snowdin, but after that she would be hiking the rest of the way on her own two feet. She had a parka and snow boots with her that she would change into on the boat. 

She had a great dislike for the cold, but this was more important than her comfort.

She left her shop with a confident stride, passing through a series of rooms, bypassing the human traps easily on her way to the elevators. Soon she was at the main section, near Alphy’s lab, and just a short walk away from the river. 

She met up with the Riverperson moments later. 

“Good morning~” she chirped cheerfully.

“If morning rises under the sea, who sees the sun~?” was the Riverperson’s usual sing-song riddle of words. She just giggled and got into the boat. She never bothered to try and decipher his words anymore. 

“Take me to Snowdin, please!” she declared politely as she sat down, placing her picnic basket neatly at her feet. 

“Tralalalala~ Popsicles under the ice~” he sang as he took off, poling smoothly through the dark, fast running river. Muffet tilted her head and glanced up at him out of three eyes, considering his words for a moment longer than usual.   
  
“Are they sweet or sour…?” she asked softly.

“Sweet as can be, like a cherry-tree~!” he replied with the same sing song tone. She blinked slowly and nodded.   
  
Well...sweet was good...right?

Moments later they were through Waterfall and on their way to Snowdin, and it was already too cold for comfort. She quickly pulled on her fur-lined boots and the thick parka which fell to her knees. She fastened it tightly, just as they arrived at her stop. She stood up and passed a muffin to Riverperson in thanks and disembarked with her basket. 

She took a moment to get her barings and then went towards the Ruins, shivering beneath her thick coat. It was hideously cold. She hated it. If she’d had a nose it would have frozen off for sure. And her hands and toes were numb before she had made it halfway to the Ruins.

The others would surely never make even a portion of the trip without help.

Finally she saw Sans’ sentry station. She took a moment to give him a muffin in return for information, and was delighted to discover that the Ruins were very close indeed now. She left him with a bright smile and a wave, soon coming to a stable looking bridge, and once over that she could see the huge purple door emblazoned with the Royal Crest in the distance. 

She felt relief that Sans had not being exaggerating in some way and picked up the pace. It would be warmer inside the Ruins and she was eager to get away from the snow. Energized from the relief of being almost done with her journey she picked up the pace a little more, almost trotting, kicking up sprays of snow with every step and was soon at the door. With a relieved sigh she pushed on the left side. It was heavier than she remembered, but with a little bit of grit she got it going, and soon she was inside, away from the bone achingly cold snow. She shut the door with a solid thud and set her basket down, taking a moment to catch her breath and get feeling back in her fingers and toes. 

Once she felt revitalized she picked her basket back up and began walking slowly for the Ruins, searching for her kindred.

\--

Napstablook drifted sadly through the Ruins, not paying any attention to where he went, but not caring if he should happen to drift through any monster or solid structure. He vaguely heard a froggit and a moldsmol complain, but he just drifted lower. He was tired and lonely.

Mettaton was happy though...even if he had broken his promise.

Napstablook sighed, exhaling for an incredibly long while even though he did not actually need to breathe. But he did feel a release of tension by the action and he was able to float a bit higher off the floor instead of sinking into it. 

He was so bored and lonely and tired. He didn’t even want to watch his snails. No one was really interested in betting on them lately anyways.

That left him with very little to do to occupy himself but his music or exploring the Ruins.

Luckily for him he had recently found a section that intrigued him, a small room that had been taken over by some spiders for a bake sale.

\--

Muffet was nearly out of breath again by the time she found her people, near the middle of the Ruins. It was a good spot though, a well protected room off of a high traffic path. She was proud of them. 

She was more than a little surprised to see a ghost lurking in the corner of the room, but after a moment she recognized Napstablook from Waterfall.

“Oh, hello Napstablook! What are you doing here…?” she asked with a bright smile.

The ghost seemed startled by her attention and seemed to fade a bit before drifting nearer to her shyly and moving as though bowing to her. She giggled and curtsied as she repeated her question. 

“I was Bored...but I like the spiders…” he replied in a soft, toneless voice, gazing at the floor as if ashamed to admit it. She tilted her head and stepped nearer to him.

“Oh?” she giggled. “Do you really?” she gazed intently at him, curious. Was he simply saying what he thought she wanted to hear?

He nodded, sinking further to the ground as one of her little spiders ran up her leg, skirt, and all the way up to her shoulder to inform her that Napstablook kept them company, bought some of their treats on occasion, and that he kept the hungry froggits away.

Muffet’s eyes widened and she turned to look at Napstablook with a bright smile. “Oh, Napstablook, you sweet dear! You must join me for a picnic!” she insisted as she put down her basket and began to lay out her blanket. He seemed startled, but as she began laying out the sandwiches and pies he settled in on one corner of the blanket almost shyly. 

Muffet had never spent much time with the ghost, but she had to admit he had very nice manners. She had to insist several times for him to indulge her, but at last he began to partake of her finely crafted, gourmet picnic lunch. 

He was not much of one for small talk, but he was a very fine listener. She explained about using the bake sales to raise money so that all her people could come join her safely in Hotlands.

“I am sorry for being so unaware…That is so selfless and charitable of you!” Napstablook finally declared and Muffet stared at him with wide eyes, shocked, before giggling. She fell forward, clutching at her stomach with one hand as she covered her mouth daintily with another. She held herself up with two more hands. 

“Oh, darling, I’m flattered, but I am a businesswoman! The final result may be to get my people safely to Hotlands, but no one has ever called  _ me _ ‘selfless’ before, much less ‘charitable’!” she giggled as she waved one hand in front of her face dismissively.

Napstablook began to apologize, sinking almost through the floor. “Oh, I didn’t realize-- I’m sorry…”

Muffet slapped a hand to the blanket as she got up onto her knees, three hands on her hips as she pointed imperiously at the ghost. “None of that, now!” she chided. “You were being sweet and I liked it! You can go right on being sweet to me as often as you like!” she declared. 

Napstablook looked like he wasn’t sure how to take that, but he stopped trying to drift away. 

The rest of the picnic passed quite nicely, and by the time Muffet was packing up she had already decided to make another trip down to the Ruins next week. 

To see her spiders of course.

If Napstablook just so happened to be here…

She would make sure to have extra sandwiches for him. 


End file.
